Fall Farm and Food Conference
Tuesday's Gathering at Stonecliff Barn
Greetings!

Thanks for registering for DAY 2 of the conference.
If you are no longer able to attend, please email Mercedes.

On Tuesday we wrap up the Fall Farm and Food Conference with NINE hot topic sessions and lots of discussion time!

Plan to arrive at 8:00 AM.
The Gathering is at STONECLIFF BARN 2951 S 34th St, Kansas City, KS 66106. Grab coffee and pastries before we kick the day off at 8:15 AM.

  • We encourage social distancing and masking as we are in close proximity in the barn.
  • Please bring your reuseable coffee cups & water bottles.

Click the button below for a map link and keep scrolling to learn more about the day's schedule.
8:15 AM
Welcome from Alicia Ellingsworth, Executive Director at KC Farm School at Gibbs Road
8:30 AM
Alan Young and Alana Young Henry, owners and operators at Young Family Farm
Alan and Alana share their family’s whirlwind adventure farming in KCMO’s urban core and discusses their on-farm market, selling to restaurants, the tremendous community support they’ve received, and farming intergenerationally.
9:15 AM
Lacy Stephens, MS, RDN, Senior Program Manager, National Farm to School Network, Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
Lacy provides an overview of the National Farm to School Network, its partnerships, and and a new project of training the trainer to spread the word and break barriers between farmers and schools. She'll share the what and why of farm to school sales and provide resources and tools for producers interested in connecting with schools and growing their farm to school market.
10:00 AM
Daniel Robinson, President of KC Young Farmers Coaltion, and site manager at Cultivate Kansas City’s Westport Commons Farm
Daniel gives an overview of the National Young Farmers Coalition, its goals, and its vision for the future of farming. He also discusses our local KC chapter and how to get involved. Daniel’s heart is in equity and farmer mental health, so expect him to dive into those topics as well.
10:45 AM
Gail Fuller, Circle 7 Farms in Severy, Kansas, and founding board member of Great Plains Regeneration
Gail describes his work, and the network of regenerative farmers coming together to rebuild soils, enhance biodiversity, grow nutrient-dense food, save rural communities, enliven urban communities, and honor soil communities.
11:30 AM
Andrea Clark, Policy and Planning Manager at KC Healthy Kids
Growing in the city requires working with city government. KC Healthy Kids has been building bridges across the divide, and Andrea will share the newly released, From the Ground Up: Planning and Zoning for Urban Agriculture in Greater Kansas City. They have also created handbooks for building high tunnels and creating school gardens.
12:15 PM LUNCH
Guided discussions with Lydia Nebel, KC Farm School’s Farm Director at Common Ground. Lydia will pull together conversations of the day and tie them to broader discussions of equity, regenerative production, mental health, and food policy.
1:00 PM
Dr. Marion Pierson, Co-Founder and President, and Brian Reeves, Co-Founder and Vice President of MO Hives
MO Hives was founded to bring beekeeping back into the city and provide opportunity to urban youth they would not otherwise have access to. Founders, Dr. Marion Pierson and Brian Reeves are committed to their work and dedicated to the community. Hear them discuss the joys of building this new organization from the ground up and all the partnerships that have made it happen. Lesson to learn: the importance of networking.
1:45 PM
Calloway ‘Cal’ Jamerson, KSRE State Extension Produce Safety Associate
Cal provides an introduction to the core aspects of the produce safety rule covering the basic principles of produce safety and produce safety regulatory requirements, as well as marketplace requirements, such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) certification.
2:30 PM
Matt Bunch, Horticulturist, The Giving Grove
Matt discusses growing fruit trees for production, choosing the best trees for yields and flavor, and how to find a market for your crop!
3:15 PM
Michael Amigoni, owner and operator, Amigoni Urban Winery
This rare glimpse into the mind and work of urban wine producer, Michael Amigoni is a fascinating close to our day. Learn about Michael’s new vineyard project in the Stockyards District, his wine production, and his favorite grapes, and how you can get started growing your own.
4:00 PM ADJOURN
CONFERENCE PARTNERS & SPONSORS
For the past five years Kansas Farmers Union participated in the Local Food Safety Collaborative with National Farmers Union and FDA. The program offers farmers training in proper food safety procedures when growing, handling and distributing produce to consumers.

This year Missouri Farmers Union is joining us to host a bi-state urban farming conference and we’ve teamed up with KC Farm School at Gibbs Road in planning the two day event!
The conference is offered at no charge thanks to funding from the FDA, the HHS, KS-SARE, the Kansas Rural Center, and Growing Growers KC, and Missouri Farmers Union.

And we want to give a shout out to our conference partners for the assistance they provide in planning, presenting, and getting the word out on the Fall Food & Farm Conference: Cultivate KC, Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association, KC Healthy Kids, KC Young Farmers Coalition, K-State Research and Extension, University of Missouri Extension, New Roots for Refugees, and the Kansas Beginning Farmers Coalition.

This event is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $25,000 received from National Farmers Union Foundation with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by FDA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit FDA.gov.